KUALA LUMPUR — A forgery scandal has rocked Malaysian football, as FIFA fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) CHF350,000 (RM1.8 million) and banned seven players for 12 months over falsified eligibility documents.
In a statement issued today, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee said FAM breached Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which deals with forgery and falsification, by submitting doctored paperwork ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 third-round qualifier against Vietnam on June 10, 2025.
The players involved are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
All seven featured in the 4–0 win over Vietnam before FIFA received a formal complaint regarding the eligibility of Garcés, Holgado, Figueiredo, Irazábal, and Hevel.
After evaluating the evidence, FIFA imposed fines of CHF2,000 (RM10,600) on each player and barred them from all football-related activities for 12 months, effective from the date of notification of the decision.
The case concerning the players’ eligibility to represent Malaysia has now been referred to the FIFA Football Tribunal for further deliberation.
FAM and the sanctioned players have ten days to request a detailed written decision, which could then be appealed before the FIFA Appeal Committee.
The ruling marks a dramatic turn from July, when FIFA publicly dismissed speculation that Malaysia was facing suspension until 2027.
At the time, Indonesian football pundit Justinus Lhaksana — better known as Coach Justin — alleged during a podcast that Malaysia had fielded five naturalised players with “fabricated lineage” in their clash against Vietnam.
FIFA rejected the claims as “entirely baseless and damaging,” stressing that Malaysia remained in good standing to compete in all sanctioned tournaments.
A representative close to the governing body told Scoop that “no disciplinary proceedings have been initiated” and that “all the heritage players used were properly processed.”
FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman also echoed FIFA’s stance, describing the accusations as “reckless” and warning that legal action was being considered.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) similarly confirmed it had not received any formal complaints at the time.
At the centre of the dispute were heritage players Garcés, Machuca, Figueiredo, Holgado and Irazábal, all of whom made their debuts in the Vietnam qualifier.
Critics in Vietnam and Indonesia questioned the legitimacy of their Malaysian ancestry, with Garcés the only one publicly claiming Malaysian roots through his grandmother. — September 26, 2025